Time slips away. . .

It’s been two weeks since my last post.  That surprises me.  It’s my intention to write weekly and then I lose track of time.  It’s for sure that my life is busy but I don’t consider any thing more important than staying in contact with friends and supporters who read this blog or follow me on facebook.  My work is all about being present to others in many ways.  The blog post is one of those ways and I’m sorry when I have failed to say “hello” and share a message.

I have been busier than usual of late working on a new book.  The writing process feeds my soul.  This particular book, perhaps because it’s “so close to home,” is feeding it even more.  The subject is the dysfunctional family.  I think most of us were raised in one.  I read Self-Esteem by Virginia Satir, more than 4 decades ago and she said, then, that 98% of all families were dysfunctional.  I wasn’t so sure I agreed at the time.  Now I do.  I seldom meet any one who feels they were raised in a healthy, loving family.

For most of us it took getting into recovery to see how unhealthy our family of origin was.  The fortunate thing is that most of us learn pretty quickly that our parents did the best they could with what they knew.  We can only pass on to others that which has been passed on to us.  Setting a different pattern in our own families is one of the pluses from finding a recovery path that works for us.

My own family wasn’t an alcoholic one but it did suffer from dysfunction, nonetheless.  The tension was palpable because of the ever-present anger expressed or felt under the surface.  Every one walked gingerly around my father. He was a good man but a tense one, and often an angry one.  We never knew when the first “shoe would drop” and when it did, we knew the second one would follow soon too.

My mother tried to quietly smooth things over but eruptions were frequent any way.  The good news is that we all learned how to function regardless.  My path was certainly different from the path my siblings took but we all met with success in life.  I think making the best of one’s circumstances is the lesson we are all invited to understand in this life.

My path which was to include a journey through addiction taught me many things, all of which I am able to share with others.  My life’s work is sharing the lessons of the past coupled with the growth I have experienced.  I know this will always be my journey.  That’s what this current book represents too.  Any every other book that’s on my radar for the future will likewise be reflective of the lessons I know to be true and feel that God wants me to share with others.

Never do I doubt that I will know what to do next.  I am open to God’s call.  And He always makes it.  Are you listening to your God?